AFL comes clean on grand final decision

THE AFL has decided against staging a contentious twilight grand final this year, sticking with a 2.30pm start time.

League chief executive Gillon McLachlan made the announcement at Thursday night's AFL season launch.

The league had to withstand a strong fan backlash over the weekend after AFL commission boss Richard Goyder seemed to indicate change was coming.

McLachlan said on Thursday night: "The grand final is the high point of the Australian sporting calendar. A magical day for the competing clubs, footy fans and our industry as a whole.

"While we will continue to explore the possibility of a later start time in the future, it was recommended and ratified today (at the AFL Commission meeting) that the traditional 2.30pm start time will remain for 2019."

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire disputed the decision, saying the league was wasting money investing into the northern states if it would not maximise its TV ratings for the AFL's flagship game.

"If you want to have any entertainment you need to have the twilight grand final," McGuire said.

"If you want to be the number one rating show in Australia, you have got to have it on in prime time. It's the whole idea of prime time. It means more people see it.

AFL legend Jonathan Brown on Thursday urged the league to abandon tradition and try the twilight format.

"Just do it. To be honest if we want to keep growing the game and make it more popular for people who aren't AFL fans or want the reach, the whole package is not only the game but the entertainment around it."